Member of Parliament Mari Kaunistola (National Coalition Party) has been appointed as the new Director of the University Consortium of Pori. She will begin onboarding to her new position at the beginning of 2027 and will start working full-time once her duties as an MP have ended.
Mari Kaunistola, who has been appointed as the new Director of the University Consortium of Pori, has a Master of Science in Economics and a Master of Arts degree, as well as a Bachelor of Police Services degree. She has studied at the University Consortium of Pori in the units of the University of Turku and is currently pursuing a doctoral degree at Tampere University. Before becoming a Member of Parliament, Taskila spent many years in various roles within the police force and as a lecturer in leadership studies at the Police University College.
“I’m excited to develop and build the University Consortium of Pori together with the people of the Universities of Turku and Tampere. We are developing education and research with a future-focused approach, in close collaboration with regional stakeholders and businesses,” Kaunistola says.
The recruitment of the Director of the University Consortium of Pori was carried out by a committee led by Vice Rector Maija S. Peltola from the University of Turku, and the members included Vice President Jarmo Takala from Tampere University, Mayor of Pori Lauri Inna, and Human Resources Director Sanna-Mari Tammilaakso from the University of Turku.
The call for applications for the position was published at the beginning of the year 2026. The committee interviewed seven candidates, and four candidates took part in the aptitude assessment. The recruitment process also included consultations with the community and stakeholders.
All the leading candidates had strong leadership experience. They were familiar with regional businesses and other stakeholders and had an understanding of the university consortium concept or university organisations. The selection of the Director was based on an overall assessment of the candidates’ merits.
According to the committee, factors influencing Mari Kaunistola’s appointment included, for example, her extensive collaboration networks, active use of contacts, and her approach to developing activities in a goal-oriented manner. Because of her expertise in science and education policy, Kaunistola has a thorough understanding of the operations of the University Consortium of Pori, and more broadly of the university consortium concept and universities in general.
The Director of the University Consortium of Pori is responsible for the planning and implementation of the Consortium’s operations, as well as for its finances and operational development. The Director works in collaboration with the universities and regional businesses and other organisations.
Turku School of Economics and the Degree Programme in Digital Culture, Landscape and Cultural Heritage of the Faculty of Humanities offer education at Pori. In addition, the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Turku administers the educational health centre at Pori. From Tampere University, the Faculties of Information Technology and Communication Sciences, Management and Business, and Social Sciences have operations at Pori.
